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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25042948">Forest</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/narutomaki/pseuds/narutomaki'>narutomaki</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Naruto</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Gen, Nana the Deer, Sakumo as InoShikaCho captain, gross descriptions of a fake fungus, is a rlly good hc ty Jules!, shikaku week, shikakuweek2020</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 09:49:39</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>659</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25042948</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/narutomaki/pseuds/narutomaki</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Short fic for Shikaku Week 2020 to go with the prompt "Forest", a little peek into the Clan duties Shikaku has to do, it's unpleasant.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Forest</h2></a>
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    <p>An almost silent rustle made Shikaku raise his head, twitching his fingers that were buried deep in a rotting tree. At a silent shuffle, the stag drew nearer to him; eyes glinting red as it passed under a sunbeam, stopping when it’s horns grazed the drooping branches of the dead tree Shikaku was pressed against. Ducking its head it nosed messily at Shikakus hair before letting out a heartily pleased huff- snorting grossly into the boys' bun.<br/>
“Ew- Nana that’s- did you really have to do that?” He huffed turning his head now to accept the large beasts nuzzling onto his face instead, it’s fangs pressing unintentionally against Shikaku’s cheek as he rubbed affectionately, licking just under his eye. “What are you a cat now?” The stag huffed again, Shikaku drawing back just in time to avoid being splattered in the face with deer snot. Sighing he patted the beast's forehead and pulled his hand out of the tree, dragging the dripping red fungus out before passing it over to the deer- not commenting on the excited shuffling of its hooves and flicking tail as it nuzzled down into the fungus and swallowed it in noisy gulping pulls.<br/>
“That enough for you? It’s gross digging around in there.” The stag snorted, herding Shikaku back closer to the tree, stomping one hoof in demand against Shikaku’s complaint. “Nana, come on I was supposed to be at training by now. Don’t give me that look! My alarm didn’t go- I’m not making excuses!” He whined petulantly, even as he stuck his hand back in, elbow-deep in the ancient tree as he tried to wrap his fingers against the pulsating slippery fungus.<br/>
“Kaku!” Chouza’s voice echoed loudly into the forest, Shikaku’s head whipping up in time with Nana’s, almost knocking into each other as Nana staggered forward- letting out a startled snort-wheeze before rising and starting backward on its hind legs, head whipping around in fearful threat.<br/>
Grabbing what he could get his fingers on Shikaku dragged his arm back out of the tree and pressed his dry hand up and into the dense hair at the stag’s neck.<br/>
“Calm down now Nana, I know who that is. It’s safe Nana don’t worry. They’ve just come to collect me, Nana, it’s okay. Look here look- here.” The stag’s eyes focused back from an alarming red white onto the mass in Shikaku’s hand, burying his snout into it fast to take the writhing clump, vanishing silently back into the depths of the forest between one heartbeat and the next.</p><p>    Darting his head around at the sudden oppressive silence Shikaku forced one breath after the next as he paced himself out of the forest to the edge where Chouza stood, face twisted up in impatience.<br/>
“Never do that again!” Chouza startled worse the Nana had, backing up and staring horrified at the remaining wriggling red fungus as it dropped off of Shikaku’s soaked arm. “I almost got brained you, idiot, how many times do you need to be reminded not to yell near the forest when someone’s in there?” His mouth opened and closed as he backed up against the force of his teammates' anger.<br/>
“Sorry.” He mumbled finally, tearing his eyes away from Shikaku’s dirty arm with visible effort. “Captain Sakumo was just getting impatient, he thought you slept in again; or skipped out on training. I’ll tell him clan duties were keeping you again, and uh... I’ll see you at training.”<br/>
“Chouza,” The other boy stopped his rapid retreat and Shikaku’s call. “Thank-you, sorry for yelling.” The words were a little too vulnerable, a little too unpracticed in their sincerity, but when Chouza shrugged off the apology the tense line of his shoulders drooped and he nodded with an easy half-smile before darting off back to the front of the Nara estate.<br/>
Screwing his face up as he examined his arm and touched the drying goop in his hair Shikaku huffed; “Disgusting.”</p>
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